Nuggets-Jazz Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMANPosted Nov 26 2012 12:46AM

The Denver Nuggets will travel to Salt Lake City on the heels of their most lopsided victory outside of their first meeting with the Utah Jazz.

The Nuggets look for a season-high fifth straight victory Monday night while the Jazz will be out to try to improve to 6-0 at home.

Denver (8-6) cruised past New Orleans 102-84 on Sunday night. The Nuggets took a 10-point lead into halftime, then extended it to 22 entering the fourth.

The blowout allowed the Nuggets to gain plenty of rest with this contest in mind, with no one logging more minutes than Andre Iguodala's 31.

"During the first half Sunday, we were pretty good except for about a four-minute stretch where we had a nine-, 10-point lead and gave it right back," coach George Karl said. "After that, we built it back up (in the third quarter) where I felt the flow of the game was more like we like it and where we got a lot of guys involved."

These teams are meeting for the second time this season, with Denver posting a 104-84 home rout Nov. 9. Corey Brewer had a season-high 20 points while Iguodala and former Utah first-round pick Kosta Koufos each scored 15 as the Nuggets coasted after taking a 15-point halftime edge.

This matchup figures to be much tougher since Utah (7-7) is seeking to open with six wins at home for the first time in four years. The Jazz had their three-game win streak snapped Saturday in a 108-97 loss at Sacramento.

One night after Gordon Hayward delivered a game-winning jumper in a 104-102 victory over the Kings, the Jazz shot 40.5 percent in a rematch with no player scoring more than Randy Foye's 17 points.

Utah was outscored 32-19 in the third quarter Saturday after holding a five-point edge at the break.

"In the third quarter they came out a little more aggressive," coach Ty Corbin said. "We missed some shots and they got a little run going and we never recovered. It was still only a four-point game in the fourth quarter. They just kind of took it over and they got another run on us there. They made a lot of shots."

The Jazz may be wary of the third quarter again since the Nuggets have been dominant in that period in each of their last three games.

Denver used a 25-15 scoring edge in the third to go on to a 101-94 win at Minnesota on Wednesday, then outscored Golden State 31-17 in the first 12 minutes after halftime in Friday's 102-91 victory before amassing a 32-20 edge over the Hornets.

"That's a point we wanted to ... make sure they didn't have a chance to make a late-game run," guard Ty Lawson said of his team's third quarter strategy.

Lawson's matchup at point guard will be easier if starting Jazz playmaker Mo Williams misses a second straight game with a sprained ankle. Jamaal Tinsley had a season-high 14 points in Williams' place Saturday in his second start.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Jefferson scores 28 as Jazz beat Nuggets 105-103

By LYNN DeBRUINPosted Nov 27 2012 1:22AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Utah fans were booing in the first half Monday night as they watched another opponent build a double-digit lead.

In the end they were cheering yet another wild finish, this one a 105-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets that kept the Jazz unbeaten at home.

"To win in this building, it's a fight. It's a physical and mental fight," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

It didn't literally come to that, but the game saw six individual technical fouls called, including a pair against Denver shooting guard Andre Iguodala with 3:24 left in the third quarter after the Jazz had gone on a 14-2 run to tie the score at 77.

They had trailed by as many as 16 in the first half and by 12 before the run.

It would be a tale of two halves by a Jazz team that can't seem to lose at home or win on the road.

Al Jefferson scored a season-high 28 points and Derrick Favors made three free throws down the stretch to help the Jazz (8-7) improve to 6-0 in Salt Lake City.

"We don't want it to be like that," said Jazz guard Randy Foye. "They played well. In the first half they ran us out of the gym. We ran them out in the second."

The Nuggets had a chance to tie it with 3.6 seconds left but Ty Lawson was double-teamed by Foye and DeMarre Carroll and passed too late for Corey Brewer to get off a final shot.

"I thought they did a great job," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "All the guys were switching off on him and making sure it was difficult to beat us over the top. They had a couple of switches there at the end but just making him work for everything he got I thought slowed the tempo of their team down and knocked them off rhythm."

Carroll credited his work this summer playing against Lawson. "I knew he was going to try to make something happen," Carroll said. "He saw me and time ran out."

Kenneth Faried led Denver with 21 points, and Lawson added 16 points but shot just 7 of 17.

Iguodala, who scored 23 points Sunday against New Orleans after posting a season-high 29 against Golden State, finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three turnovers.

"You can't get technicals and you can't get thrown out of big games on the road," Karl said. "You can't do that."

Iguodala called the loss a learning experience.

"You can learn from every game," he said. "You can learn if you don't do the right things, if you don't put the game out of reach like you're supposed to, you can lose the game. Some things were out of our control, but we still have to learn to be mentally tough - including myself - to get through it and fight for a win."

The Nuggets played the rest of the way without their leading scorer and hung tough.

But the Jazz were tougher.

After being outscored 48-18 in the paint at halftime thanks to a seemingly endless string of dunks and fast-break layups, the Nuggets had just 18 points in the paint the rest of the way.

The 6-10 Favors was huge down the stretch, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

His jam over JaVale McGee gave Utah a 91-89 lead, and Faried answered at the other end.

Another dunk by Favors put Utah ahead 97-93, but Faried and Lawson kept the Nuggets in it, with back-to-back baskets to tie it at 100.

Jefferson's free throws gave Utah a 102-100 lead and Andre Miller's jumper tied it with 54 seconds left. But after a miss by Jefferson at the other end, Favors was there for the offensive rebound, and made both free throws after getting fouled.

Favors grabbed another rebound after Miller missed a 3-point attempt with 5.9 seconds left, and sank one of two from the line.

"He's been doing that the whole year," Foye said of the second-year pro's physical play. "He's a great talent. In a few years, he's going to be one of the best power forwards in the league."

Before the game, Karl said the one individual he feared was Foye, because of his 3-point shooting.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Foye and Marvin Williams capped Utah's big run to tie it at 77.

But Foye's big play was to tie up Iguodala on the next possession, and win the jump, leaving Iguodala complaining.

When McGee was called for a foul on Paul Millsap at the other end, Iguodala complained again and picked up his first technical. He received his second after Foye made the free throw, sending him out of the game for good.

Utah finished 25 of 34 at the line while the Nuggets made just 18 of 32.

Faried, who was 5 of 6 from the line but missed one down the stretch, called it extremely frustrating.

The Jazz were simply satisfied that they had done the expected - win at home. Better yet against a Northwest Division foe.

"It helps us out, but we still got to go on the road and prove we can beat teams on the road." Favors said.

NOTES: The Jazz entered the game as one of only three teams undefeated at home, along with Miami and the New York Knicks. ... The Nuggets shot 73 percent in the first half (27 of 37). ... Jazz PG Mo Williams (sprained foot) expects to return for the Jazz road trip. ... Jamaal Tinsley, who started in place of Mo Williams for the second straight game, contributed a season-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Jazz 105, Nuggets 103

THE FACTS: After a first half in which Utah seemingly couldn't stop anything Denver did, the Jazz recaptured their defensive and physical style of play just in time to stay perfect at home.

The Jazz (8-7) overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat the Nuggets 105-103 Monday night to improve to 6-0 at home. Derrick Favors made three free throws in two separate trips to the line in the final 41 seconds, and the Jazz prevented Denver (8-7) from taking a shot on its final possession to preserve the victory.

Favors scored a season-high 19 points and Al Jefferson had 28 points and five rebounds for the Jazz. Jamaal Tinsley also had a season-high 15 points and six assists for Utah.

Kenneth Faried had 21 points and nine rebounds for Denver, while Ty Lawson had 16 points and nine assists for Denver, which shot 73 percent and scored 48 points in the paint in the first half but couldn't hold on for the victory.

QUOTABLE: "I knew they were going to try and get it to Ty Lawson or Gallo [Danilo Gallinari]. When I saw Ty drive, I've been playing against him all summer, I knew he was going to try and make something happen and go to the goal. I just tried to come collapse. He saw me and time ran out."

--Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll on his defense on Denver's last possession against Lawson, who passed the ball when Carroll collapsed on him as time was winding down

THE STAT: Denver's shooting percentage dipped from 73 percent in the first half to 36.1 percent in the second half. Utah's defense had a lot to do with it, taking away easy and close-range looks for the Nuggets. Denver had just 18 points in the paint in the second half.

TURNING POINT: The Jazz got back in the game with a Nuggets-like spurt in the third quarter. Marvin Williams and Jefferson each made layups to start a 14-0 run, and Utah surged with eight points in 51 seconds when Tinsley sank a layup and Williams and Randy Foye drained back-to-back 3-pointers. Utah turned a 77-65 deficit into a 79-77 lead.

HOT: Jefferson wasn't at his best defensively or on the boards, but his offensive game was on point. He shot 10-for-15 and played with aggression in the second half. Favors was efficient in scoring his season-high in points, shooting 6-for-8. For the Nuggets, Faried played a complete game. His points were hard-earned and he was his typical rebounding-machine self. He also frustrated the Jazz with his hustle and scrappy play.

NOT: Gordon Hayward has mostly sparked the Jazz when he's come off the bench, but not Monday night. His defense was solid, but his shot was off as he went 1-for-8 from the field, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range. Andre Miller shot 2-for-7 and missed a 3-pointer with the Nuggets trailing 104-103 with five seconds remaining in the game.

QUOTABLE II: "We started making our own dumb mistakes on offense, turned the ball over ... and that's just us -- we're still maturing. This is a hard place to play; the crowd was really getting into it. We tried to put them out early but they kept fighting, and this is what great teams do."

-- Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried on the difference between the first and second half for his team

GOOD MOVE: Utah coach Tyrone Corbin hasn't been able to find the right starting lineup for the Jazz, who got off to yet another slow start on Monday. He did, however, make phenomenal lineup decisions in the second half. Reserves Favors, Hayward and Carroll played almost all of the fourth quarter as starters Paul Millsap, Williams and Foye mostly stayed on the bench. The fourth quarter squad got stops, kept Denver from getting in a rhythm and held the Nuggets to 35 percent shooting in the period.

BAD MOVE: Andre Iguodala lost his cool and it ended up costing his team. As the Jazz were closing their 14-0 run in the third quarter, Iguodala was assessed two technical fouls and ejected for arguing with one of the officials. His absence wasn't necessarily the reason the Nuggets lost, but they certainly could have used Iguodala's presence with the game on the line in the fourth quarter.

NOTABLE: Utah's first-half woes weren't just limited to defense, as it committed five turnovers in the game's first five minutes. The Jazz were outscored in the paint at home (66-40) for the first time this season. The Nuggets nearly shot as well from the field (54.8 percent) as they did from the free throw line (56.3 percent).